Seat belt lapses, over-speeding, and ITMS captures, CM Siddaramaiah’s official Fortuner had seven traffic violations since 2024. After social media uproar, a ₹2,500 fine was paid under the 50% rebate scheme.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has found himself at the centre of an unusual social media storm, not for policy, but for traffic rules. His official Toyota Fortuner, which he regularly uses, was flagged seven times for traffic violations since 2024, with six of them being seat belt lapses.
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According to the Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS), the violations were captured across Bengaluru’s busy junctions. On January 24, 2024, at 12:19 pm, cameras caught the CM not wearing a seat belt near Leela Palace junction on Old Airport Road. The same location saw two more similar violations in February and August. Other instances were recorded at Chandrika Hotel junction in March, Shivananda Circle, and Dr. Rajkumar statue junction in August.
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Adding to the list, on July 9, 2024, Siddaramaiah’s car was caught over-speeding on the Kempegowda International Airport Expressway corridor.
The issue snowballed after social media users flagged the violations, demanding accountability from leaders on road safety. Responding to the debate, officials confirmed that a ₹2,500 fine was paid under the state government’s 50% traffic fine rebate scheme, which is currently being availed by thousands of motorists across Karnataka.
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With the fine payment, all seven cases have been cleared, but the incident has sparked wider conversations on whether public representatives should set an example by strictly following traffic norms.
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